Blog

Category: British Columbia

The Joffre Lakes hike is one of the most accessible and spectacular hikes that you can do in the area. The hike gives people the opportunity to experience some amazing alpine scenery without having to trek into the backcountry for days, and can be completed as a day hike, or an overnighter.

Summer is over, the Labour Day long weekend has passed, and everyone is back to school or work. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the hiking season is over in Vancouver or Southwestern British Columbia.

Until the Peak-to-Peak Gondola had it’s first summer of operation in 2009 (it opened December 2008), not many people had hiked the trails on top of Blackcomb Mountain. Before this, the only ways to access it were by taking the Solar Coaster Express Chairlift to the top, while skiing was still going on in the glacier area, or face a long, arduous hike up the ski runs from the village.

This trail, like so many others in the Lower Mainland, was constructed by the indefatigable Halvor Lunden. Eventually BC Hydro named the entire 24 Km trail, up Dilly Dally, along Eagle Ridge, and down past Lindsay Lake and Polytrichum Lookout, after him. He passed away in 2008. The trails he worked on have deteriorated since.

Local outdoor enthusiast, Karl Woll, has written and published an eBook called The Great Hikes of Vancouver. What promises to be the first eBook in a series, the book contains detailed descriptions, directions, and information, such as distance, time, and elevation on 10 hikes in southwestern British Columbia.

Some of the best places for hiking and incredible scenery are the alpine areas, high in the mountains along the Sea To Sky region of British Columbia. The high elevation, harsh winter climate, and geological makeup of the area give way to glaciers, bright turquoise lakes, incredible mountain top views, gorgeous meadows full of wildflowers, and rugged trail terrain, all well above the treeline.

There comes a time when a hiker needs and even craves variety. If you are willing to go a little further afield, there are hiking gems scattered throughout the immense region of Southwestern B.C. Unfortunately, for every great hike there are innumerable lackluster, or simply bad hikes. A bad hike is especially disappointing when you have to drive a great distance to reach it. The hikes described here make the drive worthwhile almost every time.

You can’t blame a Vancouverite for wanting to get into the mountains come summer. Think about it: For six months the sun is a fiction, so when it does finally arrive in June we want to get as close to it as we possibly can, which means scads of people ascending the beautiful peaks that grace the North Shore.

Popular Posts

Sign up to receive hiking updates, information about upcoming contests, and special offers.

I opt-in to receive email updates, news and information from Vancouver Trails about local hiking information, events, deals on gear, and other outdoor related updates. Questions or comments can be sent by Email through the Contact Us form. You can electronically Unsubscribe at any time.